requiring players to buy books

[cmanos]

Define from the start what books you will be using. I don't even require my players to have a PHB, but there are always at least 3 at the table...plenty.Currently I'm using the Core books and the Complete series. Thats it. I'm not requiring people to buy them all. I have them all. They are more than welcome to borrow them and see what they want to use.

I'll speak on the Ebberon Book. There are a lot of things in there for players, but there is also a lot in there I wouldn't want them to know. I prepare a packet of everything in books like that for their reference.

 

[ivocaliban]

I've spent thousands of dollars on rpgs over the years...usually skimping on meals in order to save up the coinage to do so. In close to fifteen years of DMing I've only had one player offer to even go in on a book with me. Unfortunately, that didn't work either as they essentially claimed it as their own and ended up keeping the thing. Since then I don't even mention the idea. I buy everything and they're allowed to borrow nothing.

 

[Erekose]

We play a range if RPGs (with only one of us the referee for each - I referee D&D), and we actively discourage those of us as players from buying the books.

For us, the referee has the responsibility for the rules not the players.

Believe me I appreciate this puts more work on the referee. We also don't share character sheets as a group. What each player describes about themselves [and does] is what the other players know about them.

 

[MonsterMash]

I don't expect players to own rulebooks, but I do have both the 3.5 PHB and Mongoose Pocket PHB so its easy to look things up with two sets of rules, and there are only 4 or 5 players.

If I was going to encourage people to buy rules for D&D, D20Modern or Conan I'd go with the Mongoose pocket versions of the rules as they are cheaper and more convenient to travel with.

 

[GlassJaw]

I find that it only shows an interest in rule-mongering and power-gaming.

You can't seriously mean this. Owning the PHB makes you a powergamer? Come on now.

 

[Bigwilly]

I don't require anything but turning up on the night

However, as a couple of my players also DM they often have more books than me. We usually have a couple of 'player' copies of the PH and DMG in addition to whatever books I need for the evening and that's usually enough. Also, as I am playing a homebrew campaign, it's not like the players can just go out and buy the sourcebook.

My problem with books is usually more along the lines of 'Can I have this feat from the Complete Munchkin handbook?' Mind you my answer is usually, 'Let me see that a minute ... (reads text) ... bwuhahahah, no effing way!'

Bigwilly

 

[Henry]

I don't require it of my players; in fact, I have to borrow the DMG/PHB/MM from one of my players when I DM! For my home prep, I have the SRD, so 9 times out of 10 I don't need it. OTOH, The simple fact that we are playing a 3.5 Eberron game has caused 3 of my players to buy PHB's AND the Eberron core book! It's a matter of convenience for them, and the fact that they really like the setting.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

I don't require anyone buy any book. A bunch of my players don't own any books. Most of them eventually get tired of continually asking to ask the other half of the players to borrow their books when they have to look up a rule, feat, class or spell, and eventually buy their own copy of the books..

Recently there has been a problem, one of my players borrowed my Complete Warrior at a convention while he was playing at a different table than I was as his Living Greyhawk character has a PrC out of the book but he doesn't own it. He says he left the book in my bag while I was in the washroom, but it wasn't there at the end of the night.

Plus, a friend of mine found out that I knew where to get illegal copies of books of the internet, then would pester me everytime I saw him to burn him a copy of every book I could find. I told him I wasn't going to and he should buy the books like I had, and he kept complaining that he has no money to do so. He makes WAY more than I do.

So, recently, my attitude had been closer to "no, you don't have to own the book, but I'm not lending you mine, and if you can't look something up, guess you can't use it."

Slightly off topic, but this is my 100th post! Woo hoo!

 

[HellHound]

In my two current gaming groups -none- of the players own -any- books for -any- of the games we play.

I'm the only person with copies of Star Frontiers, any of the D&D3.5 or 3.0 books, and the old and new Vampire games.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I think all of your players should buy Grim Tales.

And to help your mom better understand what this whole gaming thing is about, buy her a copy.

Don't forget your dad, your aunts and uncles, and your ol' gran, too.

Here's a link to Amazon, you can pick them up in bulk at a discount.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...002-8829255-7904018?v=glance&s=books&n=507846